A team of international researchers has captured the sharpest-ever image of a cosmic filament, revealing new insights into the hidden framework of the Universe. The 3 million light-year-long filament links two galaxies and dates back to a time when the Universe was only about 2 billion years old.
The cosmic web, comprising interconnected filaments, plays a crucial role in shaping cosmic structures. Dark matter, which makes up 85% of the Universe’s matter, forms this intricate web under gravity’s influence. The web serves as the backbone of the Universe, guiding gas flow that fuels star formation in galaxies.
Directly observing intergalactic gas is challenging due to its faint emission and ability to absorb light from distant objects. However, a new study using the MUSE spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope has overcome this hurdle, producing an unprecedented high-definition image of a cosmic filament.
The team’s observations revealed the filament’s shape and allowed for the first direct measurement of gas properties within intergalactic filaments. The discovery paves the way for refining our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
This breakthrough could significantly improve our knowledge of galaxies’ fuel supply, as the tenuous gas environment around them remains poorly understood. Further research is underway to uncover more structures like this one, aiming to provide a comprehensive vision of how gas flows in the cosmic web.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/first-direct-image-of-the-cosmic-web-reveals-the-universes-hidden-highways